Improvement in safety-doors for churches



' ada West, have inventeda new and Improved other purposes.

usual manner, and it opens inwardly, the

.ot the ordinary construction, and particularly UNITED 'STATESPAT1:i\Vt` ONICE.

ALEXANDER H. WAGNER, OF PIMLICO, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY- DOORS FOR CHURCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,719, dated May l0,18(24.

To all whom t may concern.'

Beit known that I, ALEX. H. WAGNER, of Pimlico, in the county ofMiddlesex, England, temporarily residing at Windsor, Can- Safety-Doorfor Churches, Snc.; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making a part ot this specitication, inwhich- Figure I represents an outside view of my invention. Fig. 2 is aninside view ot' the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same.

Similar letters of reference in the three views indicate correspondingparts.

The object of this invention is to construct the doors of a church orother public building so that the same in ordinary cases open inwardly,the same as doors of the usual construction, but in case of fire orother accident, whereby the assemblage in the building is compelled tobreak up in great haste, by a slight touch ot' a lever or other suitablecontrivauce the door is made to swing outward with an increased area,and the obstruction oft'ered by said door to the egress of the peoplefrom the building is considerably decreased. v

The nature of my invention and its peculiar advantages will be readilyunderstood from tle following description.

A represents the door ot' a church or other public building in whichlarge assemblages of people congregate, either for worship or for Thisdoor is hung on hinges a, which are secured to the frame B in the sameas the doors in most such buildings.

If a large assemblage has congregated in the buildin g, and a tire orother accident occurs which renders it desirable for everybody to leavesaid building as quick as possible, a door When the same opens inwardly,is inadequate tor the occasion. It is liable to become clogged up orclosed by the people in their great eagerness to rush out and the hastewith which in i such cases each person is trying to save his or her ownlife, and the inadequate means of egress in public buildings ot' theordinary construction has been the cause ot' great loss ot' life.

In order to facilitate the egress through the door and to prevent itsbeing clogged up or closed, I have hung the frame B of my door on hingesb, so that the same swings outwardly, and I fasten it by means ot'eyebolts o and loops d. The eyebolts are firmly inserted in the innersurface of the frame, and when the same is closed they pass throughmortises in a strip, O,of wood or metal, which is secured to the inside-edge ot the opening in which the frame s made to swing. The loops d arefirmly attached to the inner side of' the strip C in such a positionthat when theframe is closed a rod, j', can be freely passed through theeyes of the bolts c and the loops d.

.In practice the frame will be secured by means ot' two eyebolts and twoloopsone above and the other below-and the bolts or rods which fastenthe same are connected to a lever, D, on opposite sides from itsfulcrum, as clearly shown in Fig'. 2, so that by depressing the end ofsaid lever both rods are Withdrawn simultaneously, and the frame,together with the door, is allowed to swing out, as shown in Fig. 3. Ido not wish to contine myself, however, to any peculiar way of securingthe frame by means ot' the lever D and cyebolts and loops c d, as thisobject can be eli'ected in various ways.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a door, A, opening inward, with a frame, B, hungon hinges and opening outward, substantially in the manner shown anddescribed.

2. The application to the frame B and door A, constructed as described,of a lever, D, or its equivalent, so that by a slight touch of saidlever the frame is liberated and allowed to swing open.

ALEXANDER Hi WAGNER.

Witnesses:

ELIsHA CHASE, JOHN FULLER..

